Episode 18- Unfinished Business
The party begins the six day ride to Bastifiere, where they intend to answer the summons of the Tempered Steel. Cassian rides his recently acquired steed, Daybreak, while Yarfik drives the wagon, pulled by the oxen Beatrice and Clod. En route the party hear what can best be described as a baleful wailing, coming from an overgrown path that diverges from the main road. Cassian explores on his own at first and finds what he believes to be a haunted house, as well as several ghouls in the main entry room of the house. Alerting the party, they all decide to investigate and the rid the world of the ghoulish abominations. The party engages with the ghouls and easily dispatches them. In the course of this battle, Olash first realizes her predilection for slicing off the arms of her foes. However she does not yet begin collecting them. With the ghouls dead, the party find three skeletal bodies on the ground in the middle of the room. One of these bodies has a large, black, double-bladed, great axe embedded in its chest. The hands of the other two skeletons are holding the handle of the axe. Cassian surmises that the other two may have died when trying to remove the axe, and that the item is likely cursed. The wailing continues, seeming to emanate from the second floor. They group first inspects the ground floor to see what they can find out, before looking further into the sobbing. They learn little from their investigation besides the name "Odessa Chant." When they finally decide to ascend the stairs they find the ghost of a female elf near a portrait that they deduce was the same woman when she was alive. When they approach she snaps at them, believing they've arrived "to rub it in." She ignores them while muttering something about being "undelivered." As the party tries to figure out what was undelivered, the ghost refers to things being "behind her" before passing through the floor to the ground level. They follow her, and she mumbles about "locket, unlock it, I keep work at work." Investigating the bodies, there appears to be something on a silver chain on the neck of a skeleton in a dress. Before interacting with the bodies further, Aaeowyn uses the arcane diviner to identify the axe. She learns that it is known as "Misery." It does additional damage, but one quarter of the damage dealt is also dealt to the wielder of the axe. Olash claims the axe for possible future use. Aaeowyn removes the chain from the around the neck of the skeleton, finding it to be a locket. Opening it, there is a picture of a woman on one side and on the other is a key. Yarfik suggests that the ghost saying things are "all behind me" may refer to something being behind the portrait. When they remove the portrait, the party finds a safe, which the key does fit into. However, when the safe is unlocked the ghost rounds on them, shouting "thieves!" and lunges for Yarfik. Olash attacks the ghost with her brand new magical axe, causing significant damage thanks to the magical nature of the axe (but also suffering the ill effects). Others attempt to affect the ghost with little success. The ghost unleashes her terrifying visage on the party. Yarfik is unaffected, Cassian and Olash become frightened, and Aaeowyn becomes frightened and also is aged by an additional thirty years (thankfully, as an elf, she's not as badly effected by this as other races would have been). The fight continues until the ghost retreats through a wall. Aaeowyn goes to the open safe to find a jeweled snake skull, a clay pot, and a fossilized leaf. There is also a piece of paper that appears to be some kind of receipt, indicating that the other items were meant to be delivered to Professor Quin'tan Thrail at Blackbeak Academy. She places the lot into her bag of holding. Yarfik finds the ghost weeping over the bodies. After questioning her, Yarfik confirms that her "unfinished business" is delivering the contents of the safe to Blackbeak. He lets her know that they are going that direction and pledges to complete the delivery. She appears to take comfort in that, saying she'll know when it's done, and vanishes. The party gives proper burial to the three bodies in the garden outside the house before returning to their horse and wagon to continue the journey.